Commonwealth Club: Solar energy potential

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Unlocking the potential of solar energy: Silicon Valley's next big opportunity to change the way people live.

Hailed as the greatest business opportunity of the 21st century, "clean tech" offers a way to benefit people around the world. An engineer and technologist, Splinter is one of Silicon Valley's key business leaders. A 30-year veteran of the semiconductor industry, he is CEO of Applied Materials, the world's leading provider of nanomanufacturing technology. He has led some of the largest semiconductor manufacturing operations in the world and has been at the forefront of many of the industry's most significant technological innovations and transitions. He is chairman of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and a member of the Governor's Council of the World Economic Forum.

Splinter is leading Applied Materials' entry into the solar industry, where the company's nanomanufacturing expertise in semiconductors and flat-panel displays has the potential to drive down the cost of solar electricity generation. Splinter addresses how Silicon Valley's strengths - innovation, risk-taking, technological savvy and a willingness to change the world - can be the keys to making solar power a more meaningful part of the global energy supply.

This program was recorded live on September 19, 2007.

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